Phone Estimates Save Time & Money

A handyman business specializes in all of the small jobs most contractors aren’t interested in doing. A company or contractor that installs siding with a crew of 2 to 3 guys over 3 to 5 days, isn’t set up to handle a steady stream of small repairs that take an hour or 2 … although admittedly they have a better stash of miscellaneous siding.

Home Owner Tip - Always save a small quantity of home materials (shingles, siding, special trim, tile, interior and exterior paint, etc) for small repairs where you will want to match the existing materials.

Handyman learn the most common 200+ jobs around the house and more important, they learn the most common problems to anticipate and factor into their estimates. We always give a range of hours, i.e. we should be able to complete this job in 2 to 4 hours … to provide the contingency for problems we can’t see on visual inspection.

Gable Vent

Estimates for Replacing a Gable Vent

• Best Case, 1-2 hrs - The customer purchased new vents the same size as the existing vents. The new vents come with the proper trim for the type of siding on the house and no adjustments to the siding are needed. The customer does an excellent job of maintaining their home so there is no hidden damage (siding, plywood sheathing or rough framing) so the job consists of popping off the old vents and installing the new, with caulking and care that flashing and vapor barriers are reinstalled correctly.
• Modifying New Materials, 2-3 hrs - The new vents didn’t come with new trim or the vent sizes are slightly different so the handyman must either fabricate or modify trim on 2 sides of the vents. Don’t worry as this is what a good handyman likes, the challenge of finding the best solution for a given problem.
• Re-Framing Vent Openings, 2-4 hrs - The new vents are too big (or small) for the old rough opening, a problem the home owner couldn’t see because the trim was non-standard. The customer is anxious to complete the job versus waiting for new vents, so the rough openings where the vents sit have to be modified. What takes time isn’t the framing which is hidden, but modifications to the siding which might involve 8 to 12 pieces of siding.
• Extensive Wood Rot, 4-8 hrs (or more) - Typically there is enough air flow to dry moisture around a vent but a hidden pocket holding water could create massive, hidden problems. Repairs might involve replacing not just the rough framing but also the plywood sheathing under the siding, which in turn requires removing and reinstalling a significant amount of siding.

Everyone wants to save money but often what you save today, will cost you more in the future. At Mr. Handyman we’re often repairing what wasn’t done correctly to begin with. Inspecting gable vents to insure the repairs were done properly is a challenge so you’re better off with a reputable company that guarantees their work. If you were comfortable climbing a ladder that high, you could probably do the work yourself?

At My Handyman we would also discuss with you the choices in materials. If your house is prone to wood rot, we’re going to recommend using vinyl or metal vents. That’s also true when you have critters who are creative about finding ways into your attic. One poor customer who insisted on putting in new wood vents, had to call us back within a month to replace them again and the second time we did go with metal vents.